NamPost grant system faces scrutiny, elderly left stranded

Retired member of parliament Elifas Dingara has called on the government and the Namibia Post Limited (NamPost) to urgently address reported failures in the social-grant payment system.

He warns that vulnerable elderly Namibians are being left without money for basic necessities.

Dingara says beneficiaries have reportedly travelled long distances, waited in lengthy queues and only discovered at payment points that their names did not appear on the payment system.

“For an elderly person who may have travelled many kilometres, paid for transport and waited for hours, this is not a minor administrative inconvenience,” he says.

He says the ministry’s recently published information places responsibility for beneficiary verification, payment reinstatements, pay-point changes and social-assistance information systems within its structures, while NamPost administers social cash-grant payments in collaboration with the government.

Dingara says the situation is particularly concerning for elderly people in rural and remote areas who may lack private transport, internet access or the ability to repeatedly travel to government offices.

He also points to previous concerns raised in parliament over difficulties experienced by senior citizens under the NamPost payment arrangement, including reports of elderly people collapsing while waiting in queues.

He has requested answers on missing beneficiaries, delayed payments, reinstatement procedures, unpaid grants, complaint-resolution timeframes and accountability.

“This is not about politics. This is about people. This is about dignity. This is about accountability,” Dingara says.

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